LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today marks the debut of the ASUS Chromebook Education series that
provides lightweight, ruggedized Chrome OS computer solutions for
educational use, and continues the ASUS commitment of providing an
extensive range of innovative products and services for the education
sector.

The series includes two traditional clamshell laptops — the 11.6-inch
ASUS Chromebook C204 and the 14-inch ASUS Chromebook C403 — and the
14-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 convertible. There's also a brand-new
form factor introduced, with the ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100, a
stunning 9.7-inch QXGA wide-angle touch-display tablet. The new series
features durability, spill- and tamper-resistant keyboards and
all-around rubber bumpers to withstand the rigors that electronics often
face in schools. This lineup provides educators and parents with a
full-range of lightweight, ruggedized options that can cater to their
specific curriculum choices and unleash the creativity and productivity
of their students. The new ASUS Chromebook Education series will be
available in the coming months with configurations, pricing, and
availability to be announced at launch.

The ASUS Chromebook C204, ASUS Chromebook Flip C214, ASUS Chromebook
C403 and ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100 boast similar specs and a common
design aesthetic, but with a few crucial differences. The C204 is the
successor to the popular ASUS Chromebook C202, an 11.6” laptop made for
elementary school students, while the ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 is the
follow-up to last year’s 2-in-1 convertible, the C213. With a
touchscreen display, stylus support, and a 360° hinge, it bridges the
gap between laptop and tablet, and allows for laptop learning as well as
more traditional lessons based on pen-based input.

ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100: the first Chrome OS tablet from ASUS

The ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100 is designed to serve as an easy and
familiar introduction to technology for much younger kids. This rugged
tablet has the same version of Chrome OS that is available on the
notebooks and Chromebox desktops they’ll encounter later on, but it’s
fitted into a recognizable form factor that’s reinforced to withstand
life in the hands of children. The rubberized chassis measures less than
10 mm thick, which means it’s easier for small hands to hang onto and
less likely to take a tumble as a result. And if it does end up in
freefall, it’s rated for drops up to 100cm; the height of most tables
and desks.

The 9.7-inch QXGA display is covered in a strong tempered glass to help
it stay protected against scratches and gouges while it travels to and
from school. The stylus slides into a little garage in the tablet’s
frame for safekeeping, when it’s not being used for art, tracing
letters, or practicing numbers. Inside this slim slate is a Hexa-core
OP1 processor, made especially for Chromebooks. That works alongside 4GB
of RAM to keep performance smooth as students skip between Chrome
windows and Android apps. School work can be stored on the 32GB of
onboard storage, which is ample room for files as well as fun games. The
Chromebook Tablet CT100 has a 35Wh lithium-polymer battery, enough for a
full school day, and it charges via the same standard USB Type-C™
(USB-C™) connection that’s found on most smartphones.

ASUS Chromebook C204 – Tough, compact, and school-ready

The ASUS Chromebook C204 strikes a subtler tone, with its dark grey
finish, than its predecessor, the blue-and-white ASUS Chromebook C202.
In addition, the chassis is thinner, making it even easier to carry
around. Despite a thinner body, the ASUS Chromebook 204 is just as tough
as the C202. The rubberized chassis is reinforced with thick bumpers on
each corner to absorb shock, and the keyboard is tamper-resistant,
preventing the keys from being pried out. It can survive falls up to
120cm when dropped flat, and up to 80cm when dropped on its sides. A
raised rubber rail on the bottom of the laptop makes it even easier to
hang onto, so it’s less likely to be dropped in the first place.

The 11.6-inch HD display features an anti-glare coating is attached to
the base via a 180° hinge that allows the laptop to lie completely flat.
Its hinge has been tested for 50,000 open and close cycles, so it won’t
loosen over time. Its wider range of motion makes it easier for kids to
share the screen during group work and allows for a bigger range of
positions for the display when parents or teachers are doing
over-the-shoulder checks on their students’ work. The keyboard is the
primary source of input and features a deep 1.5mm of key travel, which
is more than most laptops. The deeper travel allows for fewer errors
than shallower keys where it’s easier to accidentally press the keys. A
touch screen variant further expands the functionality of the display
and allows for more interactive lessons.

Under the hood, there is a dual-core Celeron® processor from Intel®, as
well as 4GB of RAM. That’s plenty of power for all of the Chrome tabs
kids forget to close and ensure smooth switching when multitasking
across Android apps and Chrome extensions. There's 32GB of onboard
storage for studying materials offline, though most students will spend
their time in the cloud, working through G Suite for Education, Google’s
suite of cloud-based education apps, such as Google Classroom, Google
Docs, Google Drive, and Google Slides. A USB Type-A port makes it easy
to connect external storage or plug in a mouse, and there are two
reversible USB Type-C ports for newer peripherals or hooking up to
monitors in at home, in at the computer lab, or in the library. The
microSD card makes it easy to transfer photos from a camera to the
cloud, and the audio combo jack lets students plug in to listen to
virtual lessons or make video calls using the HD webcam.

ASUS Chromebook C204 has been upgraded to a 50Wh battery; enough to last
all day long. And to make sure there are no dropped connections,
dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11ac) allows for connections on the 2.4GHz band as
well as the less crowded 5GHz frequency.

The durability of ASUS Chromebook C204 makes it a perfect fit for the
classroom, where shared devices see more wear and tear than the average
laptop. But accidents happen, and in the off chance the device is
damaged, it’s been engineered for easy repair. It features an even more
modular design than before, making repairs even easier. The mainboard
can be accessed in three steps, and a service door has been added to
make the ribbon cables easier to reach.

ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 – Flip, explore, and learn!

Schools often have to choose between laptops or tablets when deploying a
fleet of devices for a full class, and there are trade-offs associated
with both. Laptops are what most students will go on to use in high
school and college, but tablets offer access to interactive touch-based
lessons, more natural problem solving in subjects like math, as well as
the ability to take notes and practice penmanship or travel outside of
the classroom to take notes and conduct experiments. The ASUS Chromebook
Flip C214 has a convertible design that effortlessly transforms between
a tablet and a laptop — or anything in between — based on student’s
needs.

The C214 has the same rugged exterior, spill-proof keyboard, and dark
grey color scheme. The hardware includes a N4000 and optional N4100
Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage complemented by
expansion via MicroSD or USB Type-A. Students can connect to external
displays or charge up via either of the two USB Type-C ports, and a
stable and reliable internet connection is facilitated by the dual-band
802.11ac.

The C214 has a 11.6” HD display with an anti-glare coating (available on
certain configurations) and is anchored by a durable 360° hinge that
allows it to seamlessly switch between laptop and tablet mode depending
on the type of lesson. An optional stylus slots into a garage on the
side, which means teachers don’t have to dish out styluses for lessons
and collect them at the end of class so they can be stashed in a drawer
for safe keeping. We’ve also adjusted the placement of the world-view
camera based on feedback from C213 users. The new location in the bottom
right corner of the palm rest is better suited for video calls and
recording when the laptop is in tablet mode. In its old location above
the keyboard, it was easily obscured when the computer was turned on its
side and help up in portrait. Now kids can grip both sides of the
laptop, in portrait or landscape, and not worry about blocking the view.

The C214 is reinforced to minimize damage, but in the event that there
is an accident, the C214 is easy to repair. With just a few tools, it is
easy to replace the battery, the motherboard, the keyboard, or even the
thermal module. Getting inside the laptop takes just a few minutes,
which means broken parts can be replaced without taking a computer out
of commission for more than a morning.

ASUS Chromebook C403 – Bigger 14” screen, ultra-tough design

The ASUS Chromebook C403 utilizes the same ruggedized design as the
C204, but places it in a larger form factor. Its 14” HD display provides
ample workspace for longer and more complicated projects. It has a matte
coating to minimize distracting reflections from overhead lights, and a
180° hinge that allows for more freedom of motion and different work
positions.

In addition to being bigger, the C403 is also the most powerful. It can
be equipped with up to a dual-core CPU from Intel, and features 4GB of
RAM. While most students will access and use G Suite, Google’s suite of
cloud productivity apps, including Google Classroom, Google Docs and
Google Slides, and store their work in the cloud – backed up to Google
Drive for safe keeping - there's 32GB of onboard storage for working on
assignments offline.

In addition to enlarging the screen, the travel distance on the keyboard
has also been increased. The ASUS Chromebook C403 keyboard features 2mm
of travel to ensure long study sessions aren’t made any more painful by
a shallow keyboard. And, thanks to its increased size, the C403 can
squeeze in an additional USB Type-A port, so students don't have to
unplug their mouse to plug in a USB drive when taking that assignment to
the printer.

There are also two USB Type-C ports with support for outputting to
external displays. Both ports are also capable of charging the laptop,
and the C403 is rated for up to 11 hours on a single charge. Rounding
out the collection of I/O ports is an audio combo jack for when students
want to buckle down and do some work while listening to music, or need
to watch video presentations for school. Headphones aren’t required for
great sound, though; extra room in the chassis allowed for more powerful
speakers. The included stereo speakers feature extra-large chambers that
pump out volume up to 80dB.

In keeping with other newly introduced ASUS Chromebooks, the C403 is
ruggedized, and made for rough handling. The durability includes
reinforced corners and a rubberized exterior to protect it from bumps
and falls. The spill-resistant keyboard adds extra protection, and the
hinge allows for a full 180 degree range of motion. Similarly, the C403
also is also easily repairable, and allows IT professionals to get
inside the chassis and replace components in just a few steps.

The C403 is the largest of the new ASUS Chromebooks, but even with the
ruggedized chassis, it’s only 13.5” wide and just over 9” deep; no
bigger than a textbook, and easily fits into any bag or backpack.

The ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100, ASUS Chromebook C204, ASUS Chromebook
Flip C214 and ASUS Chromebook C403 will be available in the coming
months with configurations, pricing, and availability to be announced at
launch. For more detailed information, please read
the article on EdgeUp, or contact your local ASUS representative.

ASUS at CES 2019: If you’re interested in seeing any
products or taking a tour of the ASUS and ROG showrooms at CES, please
reach out to the press contacts listed below.

ASUS is one of Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies, and is
dedicated to creating products for today and tomorrow’s smart life. Our
comprehensive portfolio includes Zenbo, ZenFone, ZenBook and a range of
IT devices and components, along with AR, VR and IoT. ASUS employs more
than 16,000 people worldwide and over 5,000 world-class R&D talents.
Driven by innovation and committed to quality, the company won 4,511
awards and earned approximately US$13 billion of revenue in 2017.